The present invention relates to an interactive peer directory implemented on a digital computer. The directory provides for the online location of peers with expertise in a particular business or endeavor. Once qualified peers are located, connections to such peers can be requested for project, product and implementation advice and the like.
Various tools for arranging business introductions are known in the art. For example, J. Greenfield U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0018851 discloses a network that uses registration information of multiple parties along with a matching function to match two parties that have a business contact that both parties would benefit from if the parties were introduced. Procedures are provided to notify the parties of a potential match, and to facilitate communication between the parties if the introduction is accepted by the parties.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,454,433 to Ebert discloses a system for providing adaptive virtual communities. By determining a technical or business context of a particular user, the system is able to match that user with other users who are likely to be able to assist the user within that context.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,838 to Nelson et al. discloses methods and systems for organizing information stored within a computer network-based system. Documentation relating to a plurality of topics and a list of experts on a plurality of topics is stored in a centralized database. A user interface enables a user to search the database for a specific item of information by at least one of a work function, a functional category and a community.
Prior art systems, such as those referenced above, generally provide too many potential matches between a requester and available contacts. The requester will then have to sort through these many potential matches to attempt to find a match that will be most relevant. Such systems can waste the requester's time and may not result in the best match being found, since the requester may settle for a less relevant match instead of carefully considering each of the many potential matches presented. Moreover, once a match is selected by a requester, the individual associated with that match may not respond to a request by the requester to communicate. This can waste more time, as the requester may wait several days to hear back from the match, only to find that no response is ever received. The requester will then have to find another match, with no assurance that the individual associated with the new match will be likely to respond to a request to communicate.
It would be advantageous to provide improved apparatus and methods for searching for peers that can assist a user that requests a match (the “requester”) in solving a business or technical problem. It would be further advantageous if such apparatus and methods would provide more relevant matches to the requester, to increase the likelihood that a helpful peer will be more quickly and efficiently found. It would be still further advantageous if potential matches presented to the requester comprise peers that are more likely than not to respond to a request to communicate with the requester.
The present invention provides an interactive peer directory that enjoys the aforementioned and other advantages.